Gift Guide 2015: Top 5 Picks from Nintendo

Gift Guide 2015: Top 5 Picks from Nintendo

Remember waking up on Christmas morning as a kid to a new set of videogames? Waiting patiently for your family to come over so you can play classic titles like The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart with them.

The new generation is likely to experience a similar feeling with Nintendo’s 2015 holiday line up.

With an environment that consisted of all the trappings of the season – Christmas trees, candy stations and all things festive – Nintendo did its best to bring out the inner child in everyone at its holiday preview event in Toronto.

The main card of the show, of course, was a selection of highly anticipated games from the Japanese game maker set for release the end of 2015.

“There’s so much to be said [for], as a parent, knowing that when you buy a game from Nintendo it has a safety feel about it.”

While the Nintendo brand is sometimes thought to be only suited for children next to its Sony and Mircrosoft counterparts, in reality it has the benefit of appealing to a wide audience – a consistently ideal brand for children and adults alike.

“There’s so much to be said [for], as a parent, knowing that when you buy a game from Nintendo it has a safety feel about it,” explains Nintendo communications manager, Andrew Collins. “You know that it’s not going to be too violent or gory. I mean yes there are games, which do that, but it’s very clear which games they are, you aren’t going to have that issue with Yoshi or Mario.”

Nintendo may not possess the sort of title that warrants a Super Bowl ad or gun rush mentality, but the company continues to set itself apart by offering existing franchises that have stood the test of time.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Available for the Wii U, this new instalment features some great team play action that ordinarily allows up to four players at once. One of the most exciting features of the game seems to be the ability for your character to expand using mushrooms through its mega battle mode, which puts an all new emphasis on the title, Ultra Smash. Mario Tennis has always been a game you’d play when you had some family and friends over, and it seems as if it looks to maintain this tradition.

YO-KAI WATCH

Released for the Nintendo 3DS, this popular Japanese game made its debut in North America this November. “It’s been out for three years in Japan and to say it’s a phenomenon is an understatement, it’s hit $6 million sales just in Japan,” says Collins. The game is about finding hundreds of ‘yo-kai’ that are invisible to the human eye, but everywhere to the player, each possessing their own skills that can be used to help solve in game problems. Just from the Pokemon-like gameplay style of ‘collecting them all,’ it already proves to be highly addictive, offering hours of game play – perfect for any long road trip.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Out now for the Nintendo 3DS, it goes without saying that any title with the name “Zelda” attached has been picked from one of Nintendo’s widely celebrated crop. This franchise stands as one of the most popular Nintendo titles and adds to that by providing the ability to play with two friends either from home or online. This game is all about team play, similar to that found in the Zelda series’ Four Swords Adventures. One instance allows you to stack three links on top of each other (using the ‘Totem mechanic’) to get past various in-game obstacles. It’s just a minor example of the ingenious ways in which Nintendo implements teamwork through gameplay.

Runbow

One of the most fun and creative games previewed at the event for the Wii U was a downloadable game that allowed gamers (up to nine players) to run and battle it out in a series of colourful, side-scrolling levels. Using a colour-coded theme, Runbow persuades a player to jump, punch, and kick through obstacles. It’s a game that got pretty intense at the preview event and left a few people sweating for the chance at earning bragging rights. It’s an ease of a game to play with a combination of just five buttons used to traverse and battle.

Nintendo 3DS XL

Yes, it’s a new entry in a long running series of Nintendo handhelds. It’s the joy of the 3DS taken to the next level, boasting a 90 per cent larger screen area. The upper screen allows gamers to see action in 3D without the use of glasses like the previous version. Overall the handheld system itself felt comfortable in the hand and came with the regular fixings such as the stylus, which always proves essential when playing titles like YO-KAI WATCH. Overall, games on the system felt slightly snappier and improved in comparison to the standard 3DS.

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Patrick Dennis Jr., aka PDJ, is a product of the era of limitless potential. Born and raised in Toronto, his diverse interests and talents are reflections of his love for finding all things eclectic and new. Graduating with a degree in Media Studies from Toronto’s University of Guelph-Humber, Patrick brings with him skills vital to journalists in today’s digital era. With experience in broadcast, print and online journalism, Patrick joined the Urbanology Magazine writing team in 2012 and represents a new generation of versatile media professionals and is capable of doing it all. From his fresh take on journalism to his ability to tell gripping stories; this young man is on the cusp of being one of the field’s best-known personalities.